Rick’s Hobby Garage is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
I may earn a small commission (at no cost to you) for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website. I only recommend products and services that I have used and stand behind. This compensation helps me keep this blog running and free of charge to readers like you.
What Happened to My Cement Deer?
What happened to my cement deer? The answer is not as nefarious as you might think. Nothing suddenly happened to it, like an object falling on it and breaking it. I have a group of three cement deer placed within reach of a spraying drip emitter. Over time the water eroded away the cement and severely damaged the deer. I noticed what was happening and meant to move it before the damage reached this point, but time got away from me and the deer became massively damaged. Honestly, at this point I figured it was beyond repair. This made me sad because my parents gifted me the mother and this baby deer. I have always loved deer and my parents had given me my first cement deer for my childhood garden (I still have this deer). Then, as an adult with my first home, they gifted me the new set of deer, so I had sentimental attachment to the deteriorated yard art. I pondered my options for a while and wondered if there was any way I could bring this deer back to life.
Can it be Fixed?
Well, can it be fixed? I really didn’t know, but I was going to give it my best shot. After a few searches on the internet, I made some purchases like: Quick Setting Cement made by Quikrete, outdoor paint, and borrowing a silicone bowl from my husband. After gathering my supplies, I was ready to try and repair my cement deer. I was apprehensive about starting this project because I do not have any sculpting experience and I have very little experience working with cement, not to mention the horrible condition the deer was in to start with.
What I Did
This quick setting cement was really easy to work with for a novice such as myself. I added a small amount of cement, about one cup’s worth, into a silicone mixing bowl. I wanted to work with small batches until I got used to how easily the cement would mold. I slowly added water until it was the consistency that I wanted. The cement ended up being more clay-like than I expected. If you have ever played with kinetic sand with your kids, it was very similar in texture. I was pleasantly surprised on how well and easily this cement allowed me to shape and sculpt it into the existing deer and create the new layers.
Okay, so here is what I started with. As you can see the deer was severely deteriorated. The nose was almost completed gone, the eyebrow was missing, the neck and back had exposed rock, and the hip was crumbling. It is hard to tell from the picture but if you touched the hip a chunk of cement would crumble and fall off. I was seriously doubting my abilities at this point since I have no experience in repairs such as this.
I started with the hip for a few reasons. The first reason was that I was afraid if I kept bumping it, moving it, etc. it would continue to fall apart on me. The second reason was that I felt it was an easier spot to learn how workable the cement would be and testing how well I could sculpt the shape of the hip. It turned out that building up the hip was easier than I had expected and was a whole lot of fun! I just kept adding and shaping the cement until I was happy with the outcome. Once I was satisfied with the new shape of the hip, I used a plastic knife to carve out the definition of the hair. This ended up being one of my favorite parts of the project. Once I was content with the outcome, I allowed the deer to dry over night before I started on the next part.
I decided my next step would be the largest part: the neck, behind the ears, and the back. I just repeated the steps I had established and learned with the hip. As you can see in the photo that the spots of the deer were raised. I decided that I could not duplicate that, so I smoothed most of those out and added texture for the hair. Again, once I was satisfied with my work I let the deer dry over night.
Now, for the final step, the face. I was truly dreading this part of the project but as luck would have it, it ended up being pretty easy and fun. I was feeling pretty comfortable with the cement and my sculpting skills at this point. I started with ears, using all the steps I had learned from the hip and back, and worked my way down the face. After the ears, I completed the eyebrow, forehead, and nose. I was able to add texture for the hair, eyes, and a mouth! I know the face is not perfect or identical to the original but I am very proud with how it turned out! Once again, after I was done, I let it dry over night before the final step of painting.
It looks so much better than before!
Once the cement was completely dry, I painted the deer with outdoor acrylic paint. You can find outdoor paints in many different colors, online or at most craft stores. For this project I painted the entire deer in Natural Tan Grout by DecoArt Patio Paint Outdoor. I used Wrought Iron Black for the hooves and nostrils and Cloud White for the spots and shading around the belly, ears, eyes, and nose.
How it Looks Now
I truly cannot believe I was able to salvage this deer!
The face was by far the most damaged part of the entire statue and I am so happy with how it turned out.
I cannot express how much fun this project was. With each layer of cement I was beginning to see the deer come back to life. I doubted my abilities before I started repairing this statue and I am so glad I did not let it stop me, because I love how the deer looks now and I enjoyed the process. I went into this project as a complete novice so I hope this article encourages you to try and repair a garden statue you may have. One piece of advice though… don’t let your statue get as damaged as I did.
Happy desert gardening and don’t forget to take the time to enjoy your garden!
Supplies I Used
- Quick Setting Cement (Paid Link)
- Outdoor Paint (Paid Link) – Wrought Iron Black, Cloud White, and Natural Tan Grout
- Silicone bowl (Paid Link) and spoon for cement mixing
- Plastic knife for molding and shaping
Joy Simper has a full time job as a home schooling stay at home mom. She is the one that holds the house and yard together and keeps the kids in line. She enjoys gardening, including seed starting and propagating plants.